Sewter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

Etymology of Sewter

What does the name Sewter mean?

In ancient Scotland, the Picts were the ancestors of the first to use the name Sewter. It was a name for a cobbler. The name is derived from the Old English word soutere, which in turn comes from the Old Norse word sutare, which means shoemaker or cobbler. 1 2

We include this excerpt from a 16th century play:

"Of that surname I neid nocht be aschomit

For I con mak schone, butekins and buittis:

Gif me the coppie of the king's cuittis,

And ye sail se, richt sune, quhat I can do."

Sir David Lindsay, Ane Satyre of the Thrie Esteaites, June 1552.

Roughly translated into more modern English:

"Of that surname I need not be ashamed, for I can make schone, butekins, and buittis" (boots) "give me a copy of the king's cuittis and ye shall see, right soon, what I can do."

Early Origins of the Sewter family

The surname Sewter was first found in Angus (Gaelic: Aonghas), part of the Tayside region of northeastern Scotland, and present day Council Area of Angus, formerly known as Forfar or Forfarshire.

The first on record was Roger Sutor who held land in Dumfries, a. 1214, and later, Kolin, son of Anegus the Souter, was present at the pleas held at Dull in Angus in 1264. Bernard called Sutor had a charter of a house in the tenement of Drumelzier, c. 1300-1320. Fynlai sutor was prepositus of Stirling, 1327, and in 1330 Symon sutor was prepositus of the burgh of Culan. 3

Further south in England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 recorded John le Suter, Cambridgeshire; and William le Sutere, Cambridgeshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 elude to the occupational nature of the name: Johannes de Morton, souter; Johannes Schether, souter; Johannes Sowter, sutor; and Adam Souterson, souiert. 4

Early History of the Sewter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sewter research. Another 369 words (26 lines of text) covering the years 1110, 1327, 1375, 1402, 1422, 1438, 1457, 1460, 1464, 1511, 1527, 1586, 1633, 1660 and 1663 are included under the topic Early Sewter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sewter Spelling Variations

The arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. Sewter has been spelled Souter, Suter, Sutar, Souttar, Soutar, Sutter, Shuter and many more.

Early Notables of the Sewter family

More information is included under the topic Early Sewter Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sewter migration to the United States +

This oppression forced many Scots to leave their homelands. Most of these chose North America as their destination. Although the journey left many sick and poor, these immigrants were welcomed the hardy with great opportunity. Many of these settlers stood up for their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. More recently, Scots abroad have recovered much of their collective heritage through highland games and other patriotic functions and groups. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has located various settlers bearing the name Sewter:

Sewter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Angus Sewter, aged 16, who arrived in New York in 1774 5
Charles Sewter, aged 31, who arrived in New York in 1774 5
James Sewter, aged 35, who arrived in New York in 1774 5

Sources +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)